Aaliyah Muolo Vergara’s interest in mental health first took root in high school, when she started taking courses that introduced her to concepts in psychology, sociology, and human development. The new perspective these disciplines provided was revelatory.
“I grew up in a culture where we didn’t really talk about mental health. I’d always struggled, since childhood, with my emotions, but I didn’t have the language to express them,” she explains. “Those courses were the start for me of realizing that there are tools out there that help. People don’t just have to figure it all out on their own.”
Muolo Vergara credits this early shift of perspective for setting her on the path that, eventually, led to her enrolling in the master’s degree in social work program through Syracuse University’s School of Education. Inspired particularly by a belief in the transformative potential of mental health counseling, Vergara is pursuing the Advanced Clinical Practice concentration within the M.S.W. curriculum.
This focus will allow her to serve as a therapist or counselor in a range of professional settings: “I want to help people, individuals and communities. There are so many people who struggle through dark times because don’t have access to the support or resources that could help them. I want to be part of making those resources available.”
Holistic View
Many of those drawn to the field of social work share a similar ethic to Muolo Vergara’s, says Jennifer Cornish Genovese G’83, G’13, an associate teaching professor and Graduate M.S.W. Director. Turning challenges that they have experienced or witnessed into insight and motivation, such students are committed to using their education and degree to help others.
Social work provides a powerful platform for putting such a commitment into practice because it takes a holistic view of the health of individuals and communities, Genovese explains: “In our work, we see a person as an individual and as part of their larger family systems and cultural contexts. Social work takes a whole-person perspective; we see the whole network.”
The largest percentage of practicing therapists in the US are social workers, Genovese says, but the versatile training of a master’s in social work prepares students for work at many registers and in many sectors of society.
“An M.S.W. opens doors to working with groups and communities, and to serving in educational, administrative, and leadership roles as well as working in one-on-one and clinical settings,” Genovese says. “The program provides an overview of interrelated areas, and the degree is a ticket to more, and continuing, learning in a wide range of further specializations.”
“I appreciate that the M.S.W. is integrated with the community … I feel empowered—this program put a spark in me.”
Service to Community
Genovese says that one of the most important things social work students learn is how to navigate emotionally difficult situations, so they’re able to help others through their hardships without being overwhelmed themselves.
In recent years, Muolo Vergara has had many opportunities to cultivate her capacities for navigating challenging experiences. And many of these, she says, have also been crucial in helping her discover her path and sense of purpose.
For example, shortly after graduating with her bachelor of science in psychology and sociology, Muolo Vergara was in a serious car accident and rendered immobile. It took her nearly a year to regain the ability to walk.
“For someone who has always been very independent, this was a very difficult time for me,” she says. But it was during her recovery that she saw an opening to support disability culture programming as part of Syracuse University’s Intercultural Collective. “I recognized that my experiences—not only with the disabling aspects of mental health challenges but also as someone living with a temporary physical disability—were sources of insight that I could draw on to help me serve in this position.”
Indeed, as a staff member at the Intercultural Collective, Muolo Vergara has thrived. She has taken on roles with increased responsibility, and in spring 2026, Muolo Vergara was awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives.
Full Circle Moment
It was through her staff position with the University that Muolo Vergara learned of the master’s degree program in social work. She now maintains her full-time role at the Intercultural Collective while pursuing her M.S.W. in the part-time, residential program.
Muolo Vergara says that one of the most meaningful courses she’s taken so far is one that elucidates how policy affects individual and communal well-being. A native of Syracuse, Muolo Vergara says the course helped her see how systemic inequities create social and economic conditions that shape lived experience. “This gave me a new lens on what I witnessed growing up,” she says. “I’ve heard people say ‘politics don’t affect me.’ Well, this class really shows that yes, it absolutely does.”
While she moved away from Syracuse for her undergraduate studies, Muolo Vergara says that it feels like “a full-circle moment” to be working in the city she grew up in, with opportunities to be involved in new ways. “I appreciate that the M.S.W. is integrated with the community. When I ask now, ‘What can I do? How can I help my community?’ I feel empowered—this program put a spark in me.”
By Sarah H. Griffin
Learn more about the master’s in social work program, or contact soeadmissions@syr.edu.